hostile army in the next few turns . This is where a well-devised strategy is important , as the player must expand wisely to survive in the dangerous world .
Figure 4 : from Creative Assembly ' s Medieval II : Total War ( Sega / Feral Interactive , 2006 )
Game mechanics To beat A New Order , players must create a network of witcher bases that provide the entire Continent with security from monsters . Fundamentally , witchers are monster hunters , and their purpose transcends the political squabbles between the world ' s kingdoms ( Geralt , 2015 ). Instead , the player is encouraged to focus on establishing witcher bases , training a new generation of witchers , and expanding their influence . Each stronghold they found will allow them to deploy witchers across a certain radius , which varies in size dependent on the level of specific base upgrades . When these safe zones cover 100 % of the Continent , victory will be achieved .
A New Order ' s watchword is freedom , and players have the ability to approach the creation of their network however they like . If a player decides to expand by using diplomacy to gain favour with a powerful kingdom , then they can do so by approaching its ruler . If they want to expand through brute force , they can attempt to capture existing strongholds in battle . However , every decision will have consequences , as the game employs an intelligent AI that adapts inworld event procedurally . For example , if the player decided to acquire a stronghold by force , they may be faced with a counter attack from a
Each game of A New Order will begin during the year 1260 , three years before the start of the First Northern War ( Batylda , 2015 ). There is a time limit , and if the Order of Witchers is not fully operational by the year 1275 , then the world will be destroyed by the trans-dimensional invasion of the Wild Hunt ( CD Projekt Red ). Each turn will represent the passing of one month , meaning there are a total of 180 turns before their arrival . If players achieve the victory condition before this point , then they can opt to continue and test their skills against the Wild Hunt ' s armies in the game ' s ultimate challenge . This limits A New Order ' s scope , which places intense focus on one period within the world ' s expansive timeline .
As mentioned , players have the opportunity to start new games at any location on the Continent ' s map . In addition to the excitement of complete freedom , this adds an element of risk and reward to A New Order . If they decide to establish their first stronghold in the northern states of Kovir and Poviss , which remain neutral and untouched by the Northern Wars , then their early-game experience will be easy ( Sapkowski , 2020 : 62-63 ). However , it will be difficult to expand from their initial base due to the relative lack of monster contracts , which provide the order with its main source of income . On the contrary , if players decide to establish their first stronghold in the soon-to-be war-torn area of Sodden and successfully manage to avoid slaughter by marauding armies , then they will find dozens of contracts to slay monsters that follow the trail of death and destruction left in the war ' s wake . At the start of the game , most of the map will be obscured by a fog of war that does not allow players to see enemies beyond
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